Darren J.Kassab Ph.D.

Dr. Darren Kassab has more than a decade of experience in developing and managing global patent portfolios and providing strategic counsel to clients. His practice involves the areas of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, agrochemicals, polymers, and material sciences. He advises emerging companies and established companies on strategies for maximizing and leveraging intellectual property protection, including patent portfolio development, product development, and patent life cycle management.

In addition to drafting and prosecuting patent applications, Darren's practice includes performing due diligence evaluations of patent portfolios and advising clients regarding patentability, validity, infringement, and freedom-to-operate issues in connection with potential mergers and acquisitions, investments, joint ventures, public and private financings, and licensing opportunities. He also has experience assisting pharmaceutical clients in the preparation of patent term extensions. He has obtained hundreds of patents for clients in numerous technologies, including pharmaceuticals, small molecule drugs, combination therapies, biotechnology, ophthalmology, medical devices, drug delivery, medical diagnostics, organic chemistry, polymers, protein therapies, coatings, agrochemicals, adjuvants, surfactants, petroleum products, formulations, and health care and personal care.

Before joining Jones Day, Darren conducted discovery research for nearly 10 years as a medicinal chemist at Pfizer (formerly Pharmacia Inc., formerly Searle, the pharmaceutical division of Monsanto Company), focusing on small molecule design and synthesis to develop therapeutic treatments for inflammation, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Notably, he was a member of a team that discovered a successful Phase-I clinical trial drug candidate.

Darren is coauthor of several peer-reviewed scientific publications and a co-inventor of multiple patents regarding small molecule drug discovery.